Are you a victim of others' decisions?

May 15, 2008

All of us at one time or another have to work through situations that seem beyond our control – circumstances that are the result of decisions made by others but that directly affect us.

Whether those situations are large, such as the way a government decides to spend tax dollars, or small, such as a neighbor who decides to hold a raucous, late-night party, any feeling of helplessness can be a signal that it's time to pray. Prayer shifts thought from a limited, linear, personal standpoint of reasoning to alignment with the infinite God, divine Mind, where we can listen for and find satisfying solutions to impositions and injustices.

The Bible is full of examples of people who experienced the powerful effect of shifting from limited thinking to awareness of infinity. Joseph, for example, was faced with a whole run of circumstances that threatened to affect him adversely and that were beyond his control. His willingness to turn to God for the solution enabled him to make each experience a step of progress.

It all began when he was thrown into a pit and left to die by his jealous brothers. Some travelers found him, pulled him out, and sold him to merchants who took him to Egypt. There, an Egyptian official bought him to oversee his property. But when the man's wife falsely accused him of trying to seduce her, Joseph was thrown into prison. Joseph kept praying. It became known in the prison that he was able to interpret dreams.

This knowledge came to Pharaoh's ears at a time when he'd had troubling dreams that his own staff wasn't able to interpret. Soon Joseph was called from prison. The Bible records: "Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it: and I have heard say of thee, that thou canst understand a dream to interpret it. And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace" (.. 41:15, 16).

What a beautiful insight into the way Joseph was praying for God's answer to Pharaoh's question. Satisfied with Joseph's interpretation and impressed by his manner, Pharaoh released him from prison and promoted him to second in command. There he was able to help save the lives of many people, including his own family, by storing food for the famine he'd predicted as a result of Pharaoh's dream.

The unlimited solutions of divine Mind are available today as well. We can pray to understand more clearly that God, Mind, is infinite. Mary Baker Eddy, who founded Christian Science, wrote: "Christian Science translates Mind, God, to mortals. It is the infinite calculus defining the line, plane, space, and fourth dimension of Spirit" ("Miscellaneous Writings 1883-1896," p. 22).

What would it be like to look at a situation through the lens of infinity? From God's infinite viewpoint, there is no limitation to the possible solutions or ways of finding answers to any need. Nor is there any power that can infringe on Mind's loving purpose for us. Man is always ultimately governed by God alone.

The next time you feel helpless to solve something that's affecting you adversely, open your thought wide to the infinite solutions of omniscient Mind. There is no problem too big or too little to pray about. Mind's guidance is ever present, specific, and available to everyone at any time. And the greatest thing we become aware of from the lens of Mind's "infinite calculus"? That we can never be blocked or frustrated victims of any circumstances. There is always an answer.